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French Guiana (often referred to by its official French name, Guyane) is hot, steamy and insect-ridden—and it's expensive, without quality restaurants and hotels to justify the high prices. In short, it's far from being a top travel destination. But it has certainly undergone some major transformations, thanks mainly to France providing extensive economic assistance to its largest overseas territory.

The once-notorious Devil's Island held many prisoners in solitary confinement, including the famous Henri Charriere, better known to the world as Papillon. The island is off-limits to tourists, but the nearby Ile Royale has been converted to a bizarre combination of a coconut-palmed getaway for rocket scientists who work at the French aerospace complex on the mainland and a showcase of the former penal colony's horrors for tourists. The French space rocket base at Kourou—and the town it gave birth to—are equally bizarre finds in this sweltering French enclave. Meanwhile, Hmong villagers, exiled from Laos, have established villages and farms in the country's thick interior jungle.

For intrepid travelers interested in exploring jungle rivers in motorized canoes and staying in South American tribal villages, this may be just the destination. We would stress, however, that this is not mainstream ecotourism: This is adventure, and only those who are willing to spend a substantial amount in gear and guides, can put up with a lot of inconvenience and can endure the most basic conditions imaginable need apply.

Geography

French Guiana is the easternmost of the three Guianas—the small tropical countries along the center of South America's northern Atlantic coast that were bypassed by Spanish and Portuguese settlers and that culturally, at least, are not part of Spanish-speaking South America. Most inhabitants of French Guiana live on the Atlantic coastal plain. The interior of the country is dense jungle, veined by more than 20 rivers that empty into the Atlantic.

The southern part of the country has no roads, and these mountainous jungle areas are seldom visited. If you go there, you'll fly into the airport at Maripasoula on the Suriname border, St. Georges de L'Oyapock on the eastern border with Brazil or Saul in the south-central interior.

History

Spanish explorers bypassed the area in the 1500s, deeming it uninhabitable. But French settlers showed more mettle—when they arrived in 1604, they found a nearly impenetrable terrain occupied by native South Americans. Six different tribes survived the European conquest: Galibis (now Westernized, they live mostly along the coast), Palikours (found at the mouth of the Oyapock River), Oyampis (they live in primitive conditions at the source of the Oyapock River), Emerillons (also a primitive tribe, they live near the Tampoc and Camopi Rivers), Wayanas (a traditional tribe that lives near the source of the Maroni River) and the Arawaks (now Westernized, they live primarily in Cayenne). The country's culture was also heavily influenced by a large African population brought to the region as slaves (slavery was abolished in 1848). French Guiana became an overseas region of France in 1946.

Today, the oddest ingredient in this cultural stew is France's space industry, which uses French Guiana as a launch site. The money that is generated by the space program gives French Guiana the highest per-capita income in South America. The country's per-capita national product is more than twice that of Suriname and three times that of Guyana. However, unemployment remains a problem for many of the country's young people.

Snapshot

The country's main attractions are jungle adventures, the ruins of the penal colonies and churches on the Iles de Salut, South American wildlife, Amerindian culture and good food.

Only diehard travelers who have seen just about everything else of interest in the world will want to go to French Guiana. Unless you have an overwhelming desire to see the Iles de Salut—without actually visiting the notorious Devil's Island—or to take a jungle-river trip in a motorized canoe, we do not recommend visiting the country.

Potpourri

Papillon is the best-selling autobiography of former Devil's Island inmate Henri Charriere. In 1973, it was turned into a film of the same name starring Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen.

Despite occasional protests by pro-independence groups, very few people in French Guiana favor independence—largely because of subsidies from the French government.

Cayenne is, of course, home of the fiery red pepper that bears its name. It has been exported since at least as far back as the 1600s.

Although French is the official language of French Guiana, most people speak a version of Creole known as French Guianese.

An Iracoubo (70 mi/115 km northwest of Cayenne) church displays pictures painted by Devil's Island prisoners.

Cayenne hosts one of the livelier Carnival celebrations in the region, with some of the most fascinating native costumes and dances on the continent. The hot spot in the capital city during Carnival is the dance hall Chez Nana. There, on Saturday night, the women disguise themselves and "ask" the men to dance. It is forbidden for a man to decline the invitation.

In the remote gold-mining settlement of Saul, near the border with Brazil, there are some 55 mi/90 km of footpaths, allowing the hardy a chance to trek through the jungle. There are basic accommodations and camps along the way. If you're interested, contact Syndicat d'Initiatives, 97314 Saul, French Guiana.

The leatherback tortoises lay their eggs April-July on Aouara and Les Hattes beaches near the mouth of the Mana River (Mana is about 23 miles/40 kms north of St. Laurent du Maroni. The latter is one of the few spots in French Guiana where swimming is safe and enjoyable.)

There are 60 species of palm trees in French Guiana.

Once you've been to French Guiana, you may appreciate its choice as one of the locales in Voltaire's Candide, which takes a satirical look at "the best of all possible worlds."